Shoe with an interchangeable external tongue

ABSTRACT

A shoe with interchangeable external tongues. The external tongues can be manufactured in a range of designs, colors, and shapes. The external tongue can interchangeably couple to a vamp portion of the shoe and can be further secured by the laces. The external tongue and the vamp portion of the shoe have hook and loop fasteners for securing the external tongue to the vamp portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to the U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/187,802 filed on 12 May 2021 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to shoes having laces, and more particularly, the present invention relates to shoes that have interchangeable external tongues.

BACKGROUND

Shoes are a type of footwear used for the protection and comfort of the feet. The shoes are also well known to enhance the performance of a wearer of the shoes, such as during outdoor activities and sports. Besides, protection, comfort, and performance, a shoe is also important for aesthetic purposes. Like clothes, shoes are also an important part of an overall attire and reflect the personality of the wearer. A person can have diverse types of shoes based on the utility, such as party wear shoes, sports shoes, jogging shoes, and the like. An individual often wants to wear different varieties of shoes of the same utility. People gets bored of wearing the same shoes everyday. In case of the party wear shoes, an individual wants the shoes to match with the clothes. Young people like to go to college wearing different shoes on different days.

When one wants to color/theme coordinate shoes to an outfit, one meets a dilemma. One either must buy a pair of shoes or have their feet stand out like an eyesore. This dilemma results in the average person owning fifteen or more pairs of shoes. Having multiple pairs of shoes of assorted designs but the same utility can make people happy, however, buying multiple pairs of shoes can be costly. Besides the cumulative cost, having multiple pairs of shoes that only differ ornamentally but of the same utility is a waste of resources.

Thus, a need is there for a device that allows a user to have multiple pairs of shoes of distinctive designs without owning multiple pairs of shoes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments of the present invention for a basic understanding of such embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all embodiments nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The principal object of the present invention is therefore directed to a shoe with an interchangeable external tongue.

It is another object of the present invention that the external tongue can be provided in a range of ornamental designs and colors.

It is still another object of the present invention that the external tongue can be customized by an individual.

It is still another object of the present invention that the external tongue is easy to replace.

It is yet another object of the present invention that the external tongue is economical to manufacture.

It is a further object of the present invention that the external tongue can be manufactured from waste materials.

It is still a further object of the present invention that the external tongue does not appear odd.

It is yet a further object of the present invention that the shoe can enhance the personality or appearance of the wearer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, which are incorporated herein, form part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Together with the description, the figures further explain the principles of the present invention and enable a person skilled in the relevant arts to make and use the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a shoe with a fastening member attached to a vamp part of the shoe, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an external tongue with fastening members at the proximal end of the external tongue, according to an external embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. Subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different forms and, therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to any exemplary embodiments set forth herein; exemplary embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative. Likewise, the reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for example, the subject matter may be embodied as methods, devices, components, or systems. The following detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in a limiting sense.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments of the present invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The following detailed description includes the best currently contemplated mode or modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention since the scope of the invention will be best defined by the allowed claims of any resulting patent.

Disclosed is a shoe that has interchangeable external tongues for distinct appearances of the shoe for various occasions. The disclosed shoe can be customized to have an appearance matching the clothes of the wearer. The external tongue can be provided in a range of colors, shapes, sizes, and designs that can be interchangeably used. For example, an individual can use the external tongue of a design that goes well with his clothes. An individual can try assorted styles of the external tongue for making a style statement. In everyday use, the external tongues of distinctive designs can be alternatively used, thus wearing different shoes on different days without spending a fortune on the shoes. The external tongue can easily be custom-made for an individual. The external tongue can hide an integral tongue of the shoe and at the same time does not appear odd. Alternatively, the shoe may not have any integral tongue. Moreover, the external tongue can be further secured by the laces of the shoe.

Referring to FIG. 1, which shows an exemplary embodiment of the shoe 100. The shoe 100 can be of any style, size, shape, and utility provided the shoe has laces 110 as shown in FIG. 1. The diverse styles of shoes and laces are within the scope of the present invention. The styles include shapes, colors, textures, and designs.

The shoe 100 has an interchangeable external tongue 120 as shown in FIG. 2. The shoe 100 can further include an upper fastening member and a lower fastening member. The upper fastening member can have a shoe part 130 and a tongue part 140 both separate and can be removably fastened to each other. Similarly, the lower fastening member can have a shoe part 150 and a tongue part 160, both separate and removably coupled to each other. Both the upper fastening member and the lower fastening member can be hook and loop fasteners. The shoe part and the tongue part of the upper fastening member can be the male and female parts of a hook and loop fastener. The shoe part and the tongue part of the lower fastening member can be male and female parts of a hook and loop fastener. It is understood that any other fastening mechanism is within the scope of the present invention.

The shoe part 130 of the upper fastening member can be fixedly coupled to an outer surface of a portion of an upper 170 of the shoe 100 adjacent to the cutout for laces 110. This portion of the upper 170 of the shoe 100 to which the shoe part is coupled is also known as a vamp 180 and is closely positioned in front of the cutout of the shoe. The shoe part 150 of the lower fastening member can be attached to an inner surface of the vamp 180 just below the shoe part 130 of the upper fastening member. As can be seen in an enlarged view in FIG. 1, the vamp 180 of the shoe 100 is sandwiched between the shoe part 130 and the shoe part 150 of the two fastening members.

Referring to FIG. 2, the external tongue 120 can have a proximal end and a distal end. To the proximal end of the tongue 212000 can be coupled the tongue part 140 of the upper fastening member and the tongue part 160 of the lower fastening member. The tongue parts of the two fastening members can be one over another, such that a portion of the external tongue 120 is sandwiched between the two tongue parts 140 and 160. Portions of the two tongue parts can extend away from the external tongue 120 forming a jaw-like or a clamp-like geometry as shown in FIG. 2.

In use, the external tongue 120 can be inserted into the shoe 100 just below the laces. The proximal end of the external tongue can insert first into the shoe. The tongue part 140 of the upper fastening member can be coupled to the shoe part 130 of the upper fastening member. Similarly, the tongue part 160 of the lower fastening member can be coupled to the shoe part 150 of the lower fastening member, thus securing the external tongue 120 to the shoe 100. The shoe can then be worn by an individual and the laces can also be tightened.

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above-described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for modifying an appearance of a shoe, the method comprising the steps of: providing a shoe, the shoe has a cutout in an upper of the shoe and a lace fastening two opposite sides of the cutout, the shoe further comprises: a shoe part of an upper fastening member coupled to an outer surface of a vamp of the shoe, and a shoe part of a lower fastening member coupled to an inner surface of the vamp just below the shoe part of the upper fastening member, such that a portion of the vamp is sandwiched between the shoe part of the upper fastening member and the shoe part of the lower fastening member; and providing an external tongue, the external tongue has a proximal end and distal end, a tongue part of the upper fastening member is coupled to the proximal end of the external tongue, a tongue part of the lower fastening member is coupled to the proximal end of the external tongue, such that a portion of the external tongue is sandwiched between the tongue part of the upper fastening member and the tongue part of the lower fastening member, a portion of the tongue part of the upper fastening member and a portion of the tongue part of the lower fastening member extend away from the proximal end of the external tongue forming a jaw shape.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: inserting the proximal end of the external tongue into the shoe below the lace; coupling the tongue part of the upper fastening member to the shoe part of the upper fastening member; and coupling the tongue part of the lower fastening member to the shoe part of the lower fastening member, to secure the external tongue to the shoe.
 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: wearing the shoe; and tightening the lace.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the upper fastening member and the lower fastening member are hook and loop fasteners.
 5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: removing the external tongue from the shoe; providing a second external tongue; and securing the second external tongue to the shoe.
 6. A shoe comprising: a lace fastening two opposite sides of a cutout in an upper of the shoe; a shoe part of an upper fastening member coupled to an outer surface of a vamp of the shoe; a shoe part of a lower fastening member coupled to an inner surface of the vamp just below the shoe part of the upper fastening member, such that a vamp portion is sandwiched between the shoe part of the upper fastening member and the shoe part of the lower fastening member; and an external tongue, the external tongue has a proximal end and distal end, a tongue part of the upper fastening member is coupled to the proximal end of the external tongue, a tongue part of the lower fastening member is coupled to the proximal end of the external tongue, such that a portion of the external tongue is sandwiched between the tongue part of the upper fastening member and the tongue part of the lower fastening member, a portion of the tongue part of the upper fastening member and a portion of the tongue part of the lower fastening member extend away from the proximal end of the external tongue forming a jaw shape, wherein the tongue part of the upper fastening member is configured to couple with the shoe part of the upper fastening member and the tongue part of the lower fastening member is configured to couple with the shoe part of the lower fastening member for securing the external tongue to the vamp portion. 